1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to seat assembly supported above a floor of an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a seat assembly having a pivot assembly for rotating the seat assembly from a seating position to a stowed position recessed in a cavity of the vehicle floor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A seat assembly for an automotive vehicle typically includes a generally upright seat back pivotally connected to a generally horizontal seat cushion for supporting an occupant in the seat. The seat cushion may be pivotally connected on one or both sides thereof—in some instances, the seat cushion is pivotally connected to one or two of the side walls of the vehicle by a pivot assembly. The seat cushion may also be releasably attached to the side walls by a latch assembly. The latch assembly and pivot assembly allow for the seat assembly to be released from the sidewalls and rotated into a storage cavity located in the floor. An example of such a seat assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,581 issued Dec. 14, 1993 to ODAGAKI ET AL. Disclosed herein is a seat assembly having a seat cushion pivotally connected to two opposing sides of a vehicle for rotation between a forward seating position above a floor of the vehicle and a rearward stowed position within a storage cavity located below the floor of the vehicle. However, the pivot assembly mounted between the seat cushion and the side walls of the vehicle requires significant reinforcement of side walls of the vehicle, which impedes the cargo carrying capacity of the vehicle.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a center pivot assembly connected to the seat cushion midway between the sidewalls of the vehicle for pivotally supporting the seat assembly and allowing for rotation of the seat assembly between an upright seating position and a stowed position recessed in the vehicle floor.